1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for polishing, buffing, and/or cleaning a surface. The invention relates more specifically to such an apparatus which has a main cushioning body with a working surface comprising independent, non-tufted, flocked vertical fibers adhered thereon, and a second surface for attachment to a power drive tool or a hand-held gripping pad.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of buffing or polishing pads have been developed for applying materials such as wax, polish, or buffing compounds to a surface and for removing such materials and buffing or polishing the surface, all of which have been found to suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, many prior art buffing pads are very large, either in diameter or in thickness, or both. As a result, drive tools utilized with such pads must be large, unwieldy and heavy, often resulting in operator fatigue. These large pads also typically require some type of centering means of attachment, such as a bolt, to aid in securing the buffing pad to a backing plate portion of the drive tool. In use, such centering devices can come into contact with the surface being finished, and mar or scratch the surface. Furthermore, the large physical size of such prior art designs makes it difficult to utilize such devices on irregular surfaces such as found on automobile bodies, and therefore require considerable hand work to complete the task. Also, in order to prevent the mounting surfaces from coming into contact with the surface being worked, and thereby marring the surface, prior art devices often employ buffing surfaces which extend considerably outwardly beyond the peripheral edge of the backing plate of the drive tool, thereby failing to provide adequate support for the outer periphery of the buffing surface.
Furthermore, because many prior art designs are rigidly mounted to the backing plate portion of a drive tool, the buffing surface lacks flexibility and/or maneuverability when in use. This lack of flexibility of the buffing surface often results in uneven pressure across the buffing surface or reduction in contact area of the buffing surface with the surface being worked. This can result in scratching or burning of the surface being worked, or irregularities or scratches in surface appearance after polishing.
Many known buffing pad designs employ a buffing surface of cotton, wool, or other tufted (i.e., having looped fibers without exposed free ends) materials. Such materials trap dirt and spent buffing compounds in the fiber surface which can cause swirl or whorl marks in the finished surface. Such pads also have a tendency to mat when the surface becomes clogged with dirt and/or spend buffing compound, and require frequent changing of the pad as well as frequent cleaning, thereby further reducing productivity and increasing work time. Further, pads made from such materials are most effectively used in the buffing mode only, and are not effective as an applicator. Thus, separate pads made of different materials must be utilized for applying compounds, polishes, or waxes, resulting in downtime and loss of productivity as the pads are changed.
Prior art buffing pad assemblies are also difficult to clean. Those employing a tufted buffing surface cannot be brushed clean, as with a soft bristle brush, due to the looped nature of the fibrous surface, which loops act to retain dirt or spent buffing compounds within the buffing pad. The only effective cleaning means for such pad assemblies is by washing, which requires the assembly be removed from the backing plate of the drive tool thereby consuming time and reducing productivity.
It has also been found that known means for attachment of buffing, polishing, or cleaning pads to known drive tools suffer a variety of disadvantages. Often, tie strings are used to attach known buffing pads to the drive tool. However, this means of attachment is not positive, and can allow slipping between the buffing pad and the backing plate. If sufficient pressure is applied to the worked surface using this means of attachment, the backing plate can rotate inside the buffing pad without rotating the buffing pad on the worked surface. Buffing pads utilizing attachment means including a center bolt are also known, and have been found disadvantageous as removal and reattachment is difficult and time consuming. Moreover, as discussed above, such attachment bolts are disadvantageous as they may mar the surface during working.
It has also been found that prior art polishing, cleaning, and applicator pads having fibrous surfaces often lack sufficient fiber stiffness to prevent the fibers from bending and matting in use. For example, when the fibers are wet, or when buffing compounds or wax are applied, the individual fibers on the surfaces of known buffing pads flex when the pad is applied to the worked surface, and mat or cling to one another. When this occurs, the surface becomes flat or yarn-like, and does not function as intended. This requires frequent maintenance to keep the pad fibers clean. A dirty or matted pad can result in damage to the worked surface from excessive friction or heat.
For hand-actuated washing or polishing applications, a variety of cleaning and applicating devices are also known. For example, hand-held sponges or wash pads are known. Wash mitts which allow the user to insert a hand into the mitt's interior are also known. These known devices, however, also have been found to suffer a variety of disadvantages. For example, cleaning mitts are often difficult to place on the user's hand, and generally provide no stiffness to the cleaning surface, thereby resulting in uneven pressure along the worked surface. Also, known cleaning mitts and sponges often sink when placed into a container of cleaning solution, thereby allowing the mitt or sponge to contact dirt which has settled to the bottom of the container, which dirt can be picked up on the mitt or sponge, and result in scratches on the work surface. Also, known wash mitts and cleaning pads for hand use typically have a looped or tufted outer surface which, as described above, does not lend itself to easy cleaning, and which has also been found to catch or snag on surface protrusions such as decals, often causing damage to the worked surface. The size and thickness of such known devices also limits their effectiveness in cleaning irregular surfaces, particularly tight or narrow spaces such as around the bumpers, doors, door handles, etc. of an automobile. The man-made sponges also cut easily and are generally short-lived.
Thus, it can be seen that a need exists for a device which can be used for cleaning, buffing, or polishing a surface, which device can be readily attached to and removed from a drive tool A need further exists for such a device which is easy to clean. A further need exists for such a device which maintains substantially all of its working surface in contact with the worked surface, regardless of slight misalignments between the drive tool and the worked surface.
It can also be seen that a need exists for a hand-actuated device which allows the cleaning, polishing and application of a variety of materials to a worked surface. A need further exists for such a device which is easy to place on the operator's hand, and which is comfortable in use, with either the left or right hand of the operator, and which eliminates or minimizes the above-described disadvantages.
It is to the provision of an apparatus meeting these and other needs that the present invention is primarily directed.